Germany, France send interior ministers in joint visit to Albania to address pressing trafficking, asylum claims and organized crime issues.
TIRANA, July 15 – Albanians should not fear the return of travel visas to much of the EU, which were removed in 2010, but should also not ask for political asylum as it will be most likely automatically denied, Interior Ministers of Germany and France, Thomas de Maziere and Bernard Cazeneuve, said this week in a joint visit to Tirana.
They hailed the country for its fight against trafficking of drugs and people and also urged more efforts.
Albanian asylum seekers have turned into a serious challenge for western European countries, despite the fact that Albania is considered as a safe country. Claimants often say they are involved in blood feuds to get their cases heard.
The ministers said the number of asylum seekers had almost doubled these first four months of the year compared to last year.
The EU member countries have agreed and decided by law in the parliament they may reinstall the visa regime separately and for separate countries if they see a growing trend of claims.
Albania has been not on the top list of the asylum seekers, which is headed by Serbia and Macedonia.
Albanian authorities continue their prolonged public awareness telling people not to go to Europe to ask for asylum or stay longer than the required number of days as set in the agreement on the visa-free regime in December 2010.
Albanian Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri also said Tirana got support and future assistance to further strengthen the already recently-created National Bureau of Investigation ,especially probing corruption among the country’s elite group.
French minister hailed Albania’s fight especially against drug traffic, mentioning the recent massive operation in Lazarat commune. He also said that Albania has been set in the list of the safe countries, which resulted in giving the visa-free regime earlier.
“All Albanians should know it is not possible to immigrate to France and our response will be strong to all these networks that make the people hope in vain for an illegal emigration,” said Cazeneuve in the joint news conference.
German Minister de Maziere called on the Albanian citizens “not to follow this road, because that is a difficult path, it is illegal and it has no chance to stay in Germany through that.”
“I hope and would like to stress that our visit today together with the French colleague Bernard and with the Interior Minister is a new start, a good start to our cooperation, in that cooperation that could take Albania into the EU,” said de Maziere.
